CRPF cautions people against fake photos aimed at spreading hatred

The Central Reserve Police Force on Sunday cautioned people against “fake pictures” being circulated online of body parts of its 40 soldiers killed in the Pulwama attack, the deadliest terrorist strike on security forces in Kashmir Valley in three decades.

• PULWAMA TERROR ATTACK

“It has been noticed that on social media some miscreants are trying to circulate fake pictures of body parts of our martyrs to invoke hatred while we stand united.

“Please DO NOT circulate/share/like such photographs or posts,” the force said on its official Twitter handle — @crpfindia.

It asked people to report any such content by sending an email to webpro@crpf.gov.in.

Officials said a number of such photographs of badly mutilated bodies were being circulated and the development was brought to the notice of force officials after which the advisory was issued.

The paramilitary force, that has deployed about 65,000 personnel as part of 61 battalions in Jammu and Kashmir, issued another advisory on bogus messages being circulated on social media vis-a-vis Kashmiri students based in various places in the country.

“Fake news about harassment of students from Kashmir is being propagated by various miscreants on social media. CRPF helpline has enquired about complaints about harassment and found them incorrect.

“These are attempts to invoke hatred. Please DO NOT circulate such posts,” it said in its second post on Twitter.

Investigators suspect the attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama on February 14 was executed by a ‘lone wolf’ Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist by blowing up a 20-kg-strong RDX mix explosive, laden in a car, next to a troop-carrier bus plying as part of a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The impact of the blast was so strong that the bodies of the soldiers were blown to smithereens and flung many feet away from the site of explosion.